rantingsofacursebreakerhttps://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com
... why live in one reality, when you can live in thousands?Mon, 18 Dec 2017 01:59:53 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.png rantingsofacursebreakerhttps://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com
Making History: The Relevance of Fiction to Recollection of the Past – by Guest Author Camilla Hansenhttps://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2017/12/18/making-history-the-relevance-of-fiction-to-recollection-of-the-past-by-guest-author-camilla-hansen/
https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2017/12/18/making-history-the-relevance-of-fiction-to-recollection-of-the-past-by-guest-author-camilla-hansen/#respondMon, 18 Dec 2017 01:24:29 +0000http://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/?p=6031Continue reading »]]>

Winston Churchill once said, “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.”

Granted, he was referring to actions that would be remembered over a long period of time and not the literal writing of history books, but that doesn’t make the statement any less relevant for those who wish to approach it in the more literal sense. Many make the fallacious assumption that history books contain objective accounts of what happened in the past and forget to factor in that history books, like any other piece of writing, are subjected to editing and need to meet certain criteria in order to be published. This leaves little room for nuances or reflection on the truthfulness of what is written, and because these events occurred in the past, readers of history books have no means of double-checking the facts they’re being taught. History books, therefore, might as well just have been fiction. There are many books that play with this fluid relationship between fact and fiction – there’s an entire literary genre called historical fiction – and in different ways seek to enrich their readers’ understanding of an era or a historical event. One such book is Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao whose unconventional, multi-layered narrative style and believable character enables readers of different backgrounds to understand the slice of Dominican history that was the Trujillo regime.

The novel’s primary narrative is not presented in chronological order, but if it were, it would follow a Dominican family’s development from the 1940s and well into the 1990s. It tells the story of how a respected doctor’s unintentional falling out with the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo has affected the dynamic of the rest of his family for decades to come, to the point where his New Jersey born grandson, Oscar – spoiler alert! – eventually dies. The lack of chronology – the novel skips back and forth between the narrator’s present, Oscar’s youth, Oscar’s mother, Beli’s youth, and the time before Beli was even born – adds many layers to the story and serves to make a point: in retelling history, it’s almost important not to skip between episodes and events from different periods because there is usually more than one cause. Take for example the First World War. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, but the war would never have taken place if tensions between the major European powers hadn’t already existed. The difference here is that whereas history books need to adhere to strict conventions in order to get published, fictional works are encouraged to play with techniques in order to create suspense and keep the readers engaged.

This is not to suggest that all characters and events described in the novel are real. Rather, it is to point out that fictional works have advantages that history books could learn from and that allow readers to reflect on the way history is written. Díaz’s novel is not traditionally considered historical fiction but effectively navigates the same grey zone between fact and fiction that historical novels do, albeit in a slightly different way.

The historical element of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is written almost as a second, separate narrative and is mostly present through the book’s many footnotes. From the onset of the novel, it becomes evident that the purpose of the footnotes is to help “those of you who missed your mandatory two seconds of Dominican history” (2) understand what’s going on. They relay the information that would either be too boring or too complicated, since Trujillo and his henchmen were actual people, to embed into the primary narrative about Oscar de León and his family. Díaz, through his narrator, is – probably correctly – assuming that the readers are not well acquainted with Dominican culture or history. The footnotes, much like their textbook counterparts, serve to bring everyone on the same page, which allows readers to understand the historical references throughout the novel without having to look the information up elsewhere. In other words, the implementation of footnotes in this work of fiction takes away the need for background information and makes the book accessible to a broader audience by not limiting it to those who understand Dominican culture and history.

Another thing that makes the historical events and information more easily accessible to a non-Dominican audience is their close connection to the fictional characters the audience cares about. Because the protagonist, the nerdy American-Dominican Oscar, is simultaneously frustratingly pathetic and an unfortunate underdog, readers are drawn into his story, through which they learn to care about his sister and become curious as to what has made their mother so unaffectionate. This combination of sympathy and desire to know more is what drives the narrative forward. Since the historical events and people the narrator highlights are of relevance to the characters, by extension, they also become relevant to the readers. Just like many successful works of historical fiction, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao “[focuses] a rich, human lens on a sometimes abstract topic” (Beck et al 546) and allows readers to feel connected to the historical events they are learning about as they immerse themselves in the fictional universe. That is, because readers tend to form emotional attachment to well-rounded fictional characters, they actually care about the historical events that influence them and enthusiastically interpret that information. The human aspect of fiction is one that history books don’t share, but one that nevertheless makes history engaging and relevant to a wider audience regardless of social, cultural, or ethnical differences.

Junot Díaz is not the only author who successfully makes historical events relevant to readers of fiction, nor is he the only one who does so within the setting of the former Spanish West Indies. Two other examples are Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet and Voodoo Eyes by Nick Stone.

Crucet’s novel follows the teenager, Lizet, who is the first in her Cuban-American family to go to a prestigious college outside of Miami where she’s grown up. While she’s away, a little boy named Ariel Hernandez becomes the media’s center of attention; he’s lost his mother at sea on an illegal boat trip from Cuba to Florida, and the courts now have to decide whether he gets to remain in America or is sent back to Cuba where his father lives. Lizet’s mother becomes deeply involved in the fight for the boy’s right to stay in America, and this has a profound influence on Lizet, who is already struggling as one of very few minority students at the college she’s attending. Ariel Hernandez’s story is based on a true one, namely that of Elián González, and the novel highlights the relevance of the 1999 custody debate as well as its influence on the Cuban community in America. Readers get to share Lizet’s annoyance and embarrassment with her mother’s actions and to suffer with her as she struggles to make sense of her own identity in the midst of the political chaos. In short, they get to understand the complexity of the issue by seeing it through someone else’s eyes.

The relationship to history in Stone’s case is no less obvious; in Voodoo Eyes, private detective Max Mingus investigates the death of two of his former colleagues, and the trail seems to end at a radical who has been presumed dead after she fled to Cuba. In addition to an action-packed and suspenseful plot, the novel reflects on the Castro regime in Cuba – particularly on Castro’s granting of political asylum to American criminals. Once again, the historical and political issues are relayed to readers through the sympathetic, proactive, and brave main character who’s lost his friends to someone who was allowed to walk free by the leader of a neighboring nation.

One feature that makes The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao unique is that not only does it manage to make historical figures and events interesting, it also forces readers to think about the creation and writing of history itself. The footnotes are crucial to this argument.

Traditionally, footnotes are meant to be factually accurate and provide mostly objective extra information. Díaz’s footnotes do something completely different: they dip into the realm of metafiction. Metafiction is a “self-conscious” form of writing that draws attention to the fact that it is fiction in one way or another, and according to Philpot, the genre “explores [fiction as a cultural product], challenging readers to question their assumptions about stories, storytelling, and representations of reality” (144). Essentially, it plays with rules and conventions and highlights that they are still just parts of fiction. For example, in the main text of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, the narrator states,

“When the family talks about it [fukú, accumulated bad luck passed on through generations] – which is like never – they always begin in the same place” (211).

In the corresponding footnote, he then reveals,

“There are other beginnings certainly, better ones, to be sure […] but if this is the beginning that the de Leóns chose for themselves, then who am I to question their historiography?” (11)

What is happening here can be boiled down to this: a fictional author adds a supposedly factual remark on the validity of a fictional family’s historiography. This might be done to lend the narrator some authority and credibility, but it serves another function, too: it gets readers thinking about the nature of footnotes and whether they are really completely objective and factual.

The same, then, goes for historical fact in this novel. Since the historical layer of narration in the novel is found primarily in the footnotes, and the footnotes themselves spark consideration of what is fact and what is fictional or someone’s personal opinion, the two eventually merge. If readers trust the narrator despite his subjectivity, they’re likely to trust the historical evidence presented in the novel, but if the opposite is the case, they may just interpret it as fictional as well.

This final point feeds nicely into the Churchill quote mentioned earlier. History is always written by someone, and it is impossible to completely factor out ideological frameworks and societal as well as personal influences in any text. Textbooks are written with a purpose and for a specific audience and adhere to certain conventions that fiction doesn’t. Ironically, fiction often does a better job at making history relevant to readers through its characters and other narrative techniques, and it allows for a broader audience. Díaz’s novel is a unique hybrid of genres, including historical fiction and metafiction, that is likely to be eye-opening and educational to anyone who reads it regardless of their social, cultural, and ethnic background. As such, it would serve as a powerful foundation for teaching not only Dominican history but also a number of other highly relevant topics to today’s readers such as immigration, integration, and family dysfunction. In other words, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao could be a new tool to spark a debate about past events in a multicultural setting and in an increasingly globalized world, learning to understand different cultures and peoples is of the utmost importance.

]]>https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2017/12/18/making-history-the-relevance-of-fiction-to-recollection-of-the-past-by-guest-author-camilla-hansen/feed/0104178rantingsofacursebreakerOscar Wao.jpgMake Your Home.jpgVoodoo Eyes.jpgTo Boldly Go: Science-Fiction as a Medium to Discuss the Implications of Biologically Modifying Infantshttps://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2017/12/17/to-boldly-go-science-fiction-as-a-medium-to-discuss-the-implications-of-biologically-modifying-infants/
https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2017/12/17/to-boldly-go-science-fiction-as-a-medium-to-discuss-the-implications-of-biologically-modifying-infants/#respondSun, 17 Dec 2017 19:37:23 +0000http://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/?p=6025Continue reading »]]>“… no matter how far we travel or how fast we get there, the most profound discoveries are not necessarily beyond that next star. They’re within us, woven into the threads that bind us, all of us, to each other.”

– Captain Jonathan Archer, Star Trek: Enterprise

Science Fiction, along with Fantasy and Horror, has long been considered an unliterary genre of fiction. A genre of made-up inventions and pretend situations. A genre for nerds. And while this is certainly enough to satisfy my reading requirements, those who require morals and meaning from their fiction may be surprised by the depth this underappreciated genre has to offer. Star Trek, perhaps the most science-fictiony franchise to ever go to warp, has been challenging social norms and presenting an accepting and progressive front to the known universe since its inception. Its detachment from our current reality allows it to address difficult issues with a distance that means people don’t feel victimised for having a different opinion. People are far more open to new ideas and ways of thinking when they feel unthreatened. Star Trek is certainly not the only member of this genre to address current social and ethical issues. Becky Chambers’s novel The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and Seth MacFarlane’s television series The Orville are two recent works that both subtly and overtly address current issues. One of these issues is the biological and physiological modification of both foetuses and newborn infants. A heavy topic made less-daunting through Science Fiction.

wasduk.com/2013/11/25/anniversary-star-treks-interracial-kiss/

The freedom to choose has always been incredibly important to me, my parents didn’t have me christened as an infant so that I would be able to choose what was right for me and I am not only grateful for that choice, but it also influences the way I see the world. And so, my focus will be on medically unnecessary procedures performed on infants. Procedures that take away choices and may deeply impact the infant’s life. The first issue I want to talk about is that of circumcision. This procedure is only medically necessary for a handful of people, and yet parents often make the decision to circumcise; this procedure has risks associated with it, the most severe (though incredibly rare) being the contraction of meningitis or septicaemia (BUPA). People often tout the supposed health benefits as valid reasons to make this decision for their children, frequently citing the reduced risks of developing STIs and hygiene-related conditions. Do you know what else can reduce these risks? A condom and a shower. Why permanently alter a child when educating them would do the same job? Let them decide by themselves.

Another issue worth mentioning is sex assignment surgeries performed on intersex infants. Despite teaching children that females have two X chromosomes and males have an X and a Y, that boys have penises and girls have vaginas, sex is a spectrum and doesn’t fit neatly into boxes. 1.7% of babies are born with characteristics of both ends of this spectrum and, for every 2000 babies born in hospitals, one of them is deemed sexually abnormal enough to warrant surgical intervention (Human Rights Watch). The decision to operate on a child, for this reason, is made by the parents (though in the past it was often made by doctors who left the parents none-the-wiser) for the sake of being the child being seen as normal. Taking this choice away from the child may affect them for the rest of their lives, lives they have had very little say in.

My final IRL issue is, in my opinion, far more ethically ambiguous and I’m not entirely sure where I come down on this one. It is now possible to successfully screen for Down Syndrome during the first trimester of pregnancy (Wright). This early window means that terminations may be performed safely and are less physically traumatising than ones performed later in pregnancy. Should these screenings be issued as a matter of course? Should a pregnancy be terminated because a child has Down Syndrome? Is this a form of natural selection and could it lead to a society where Down Syndrome has been eradicated? Would this be a good thing? Can we tell women that they can’t terminate a pregnancy they would have otherwise kept? Can we tell people that they have to terminate these pregnancies? Was it right to develop this method of diagnosis in the first place? This whole issue is a mess of contradictions and creeps dangerously close to Eugenics.

But Jasmine, I hear you say, this is all very interesting, but what on Earth does all this have to do with science fiction? Well, dearest reader, let me explain. I recently discovered Becky Chambers and her character-driven novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, a story about a rag-tag crew who use their not-exactly-state-of-the-art ship to help prevent an intragalactic crisis. One of these characters, Jenks, is the ship’s comp tech, a music and tattoo enthusiast, and red-weed smoker. He also has a form of dwarfism. His mother, who was something of a hippie, refused medical interaction, including genetic screening, whilst she was pregnant with him and, once he was born, refused the genetweak that would have genetically eradicated the dwarfism that wasn’t negatively impacting Jenks’s life. By refusing to bow to pressure, his mother gave Jenks the gift of choice. He is frequently harassed by doctors who say that they can fix him. Jenks maintains that you can’t fix what isn’t broken, he refuses the genetweaks and is always completely himself.

Like most Science Fiction authors, Chambers uses a made-up procedure, in this case a genetweak, to throw her setting into the future. Genetweaks are provided as a catch-all solution to the majority of medical conditions and syndromes. Missing a chromosome? We can fix that. A little on the short side? We can fix that. Did mummy accidentally have an affair? We can fix that. The real question this novel asks is should we fix it? Should we interfere with nature? Should we genetically alter foetuses and infants to confirm with what we deem as normal? The example Chambers uses is currently a scientific impossibility and is, therefore, distanced from the current word we live in and so does not alienate her audience. Despite this distance, it is easy to make the leap from genetweaking to genetically screening pregnancies for conditions like Down Syndrome. By including details like this in her characters’ backgrounds, Chambers provokes thought in her readers and has them asking themselves difficult questions – well, she had my asking questions, anyway.

The Orville, Seth MacFarlane’s new Star Trek spoof television series, takes this thought-provocation one step further and actually talks through the issues raised, often using twentieth and twenty-first century analogies. One episode, “About a Girl,” is particularly poignant in this regard. During the episode two Boclans, a predominately male species, lay an egg together which then hatches into an incredibly rare baby girl. The parents, Bortus and Klyden, petition the ship’s doctor to perform the procedure Boclans customarily complete to change the sex of their female babies. The human doctor, along with the majority of the crew, see it as wrong to change the sex of someone who is too young to decide for themself. The Orville’s crew band together to try and convince the parents that they should not be the ones making this decision. They actual succeed … with one parent. Bortus becomes convinced after learning the story of Rudolph and how the reindeer’s supposed abnormality, his glowing nose, saves Christmas. With the parents in disagreement, the case goes to Boclan family court and though the Orville’s crew put together a terrific defence, the Boclan judge remains unconvinced and rules that the baby should undergo the procedure so as better conform to Boclan society.

Not only did this episode bring up and talk through the ethics of performing sex reassignment surgeries on infants, it also discussed how culture affects these decisions. In Boclan society, it is normal to perform this procedure, just as it is normal to have Jewish boys circumcised. This episode did an incredible job of presenting a suitably alien example of sex reassignment in a completely relatable way. It also successfully demonstrated the struggle involved with social reformation. Change doesn’t just happen overnight. It has to be worked for by people who believe in it. It doesn’t work out for Bortus but that doesn’t mean that Boclan females will be non-existent in the future. The episode creates an undeniable sense of hope for the future – not just for Boclan females, but for all people who are often labelled abnormal, for that 1.7%that don’t fit into neat boxes, and for those that have their choices ripped away from them before they can even hold their own heads up.

Convinced yet? Not only is Science-Fiction wickedly entertaining, it can also be used to do a whole galaxy of good. Presenting serious issues in a viewer-friendly format means a whole range of people can receive the message, encoded or otherwise, and start thinking about issues that don’t directly affect themselves. And, as long as people are thinking, progress will be made. It may be slow and done one step at a time but, as long as we keep moving forward, we will boldly go into a future that accepts people for who they are and gives them the freedom to make their own decisions.

]]>https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2017/12/17/to-boldly-go-science-fiction-as-a-medium-to-discuss-the-implications-of-biologically-modifying-infants/feed/0galaxyrantingsofacursebreakerkissplanettopaBob Dylan the Beatnik – by Guest Author Christoffer Minnethttps://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2017/12/17/bob-dylan-the-beatnik-by-guest-author-christoffer-minnet/
https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2017/12/17/bob-dylan-the-beatnik-by-guest-author-christoffer-minnet/#respondSun, 17 Dec 2017 17:51:59 +0000http://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/?p=6023Continue reading »]]>The Beat Generation is an odd literary period. For while it spans the entire generation of youth after the second World War, it is limited to three main authors: Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs. I do not believe that it can be said so simply, though. These three characters cannot, despite being very unique people, define an entire generation. I believe that it lies, not only in who they were and what they did, but in their legacy. For the beat period was not very long. According to Klein “the primary period of beat productivity [was from] 1951-1960” (137). No, these three people, along with their small network, alone could not have influenced an entire generation as they are credited with, but through the people they influenced they had a lasting effect on American culture. I will now show how they have influenced Bob Dylan and through him “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition” (Nobelprize.org).

Bob Dylan, a simple folk and protest singer, a voice of rebellion, as many would refer to him. He would certainly not have anything to do with the beat generation, and certainly not with the literary scene, but I beg to differ. Indeed, if we only considered Dylan in the beginning of his career, specifically albums like Bob Dylan (1962), Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963), The Times They are A’Changing (1964), and Another side of Bob Dylan (1964) we could quickly conclude that while there might be a small frame of reference, there would not be much of significance. However, I will not focus on this period. I shall examine what is colloquially referred to as when Dylan “went electric.” That is, the period directly after the 1965 Newport Folk Festival where Dylan was booed by sections of his crowd. This period is comprised of the albums Bringing it all back home (1965), Highway 61 Revisited (1965), and Blonde on Blonde (1966), and I will now, using one song from each album, exhibit Dylan’s Beat style of his mid-sixties period.

If we start off in 1965 with the release of Dylan’s first top 40 hit in America “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” we already in the title find a reference to Jack Kerouac’s The Subterraneans. The Subterraneans is a novella published 1958, in which the narrator talks about how his friend Adam Moorad invented the name and described the subterraneans as “hip without being slick, […] intelligent without being corny, […] intellectual as hell and know all about Pound without being pretentious or talking too much about it, they are very quiet, they are very Christlike” (“Subterraneans” 3). One could argue that this description also fits Dylan himself. Besides the obvious reference in the title of the song, however, there are also elements within that relates a beat narrative. The first four verses of the song tell of individuals akin to what Kerouac describes:

“Johnny’s in the basement

Mixing up the medicine

I’m on the pavement

Thinking ‘bout the government”

(“Subterranean Homesick Blues”)

People who know about the way of the world, but who are still subterranean, that is, a subculture non-conforming to the rational society around them. Furthermore, the contrast between “Johnny in the basement” and “[me] on the pavement” is akin to that of the youths in Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” “who were expelled from the academies for crazy & publishing obscene odes on the windows of the skull” (Ginsberg 9).

Moreover, in the music video to “Subterranean Homesick Blues” Allen Ginsberg is present in the background, and he even wrote some of the signs for the iconic cue cards scene, replicated most notably in the British Christmas movie “Love Actually”. This modern-day reference is also a testament to Bob Dylan’s lasting influence. Even in 1993 Rolling Stones Magazine named “Subterranean Homesick Blues” the seventh best music video of all time (Rock on the Net).

Finally, in case the reader is still not convinced the sheer flow and pace of the song, so akin to beat writing and beat poetry must be testament enough. As Dylan, himself said, “I […] fell in with the Beat scene, the bohemian, Be Bop crowd, it was all pretty much connected […] It was Jack Kerouac, Ginsberg” (Wilentz). Notably in this quote is the “Be Bop crowd,” which talks about the jazz flow of the beat generation. An example of said fast paced, jazz-like writing, is Kerouac’s dislike of punctuation. In his novel On the Road, originally there were no indentation, or chapters of any sort, and in The Subterraneans from the middle of the first page, to the middle of the second page there is not a single full stop. This breathless reading is what was then paired off with Dylan’s more rock and roll style, but which retained all of its speed or flow-of-conscious feel.

Now “Subterranean Homesick Blues” is from the album Bringing It All Back Home, which is only the first of the three albums I will consider. Another is Highway 61 Revisited. This was the first album Dylan released which was fully electric. On the A-side of Bringing It All Back Home Dylan had been supported by an electric band, and the B-side featured Dylan acoustically by himself. Many therefore name Highway 61 Revisited as Dylan’s most significant album. Before this album was released, Dylan released a single from it: “Like a Rolling Stone,” which to this day remains one of Bob Dylan’s singular masterpieces. On the streaming service Spotify, at the time of this writing, “Like a Rolling Stone” is Dylan’s most played track, with nigh on 90 million listens, but that is a minute achievement compared to Rolling Stone Magazine naming it the best song ever, on its 500 Greatest Song of All Time list of 2011.

“Like a Rolling Stone” tells the story of a girl who was once part of, what can be assumed to be, the middle class and who has now fallen down on her luck. It tells about this girl who has been so protected all her life, who went “to the finest schools” (Dylan), but who was never “taught how to live out on the street” (Dylan). This telling of a person who was so sheltered and who consequently do not know how to make it in the ‘real world’ is very beat. The beatniks were after all not people who had much, but were people who knew about life, who savored the reality of being poor,

“who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz” (Ginsberg 7)

“Like a Rolling Stone” is not only beat for its story; however, also the flow of the song, the way Dylan sings it, is akin to a beat poem. The fast reading of the verses then followed by a ‘dive’ at every other verse, something like “Once-upon-a-time you-dressed-so-fine/ Threw-the-bums-a-dime in-your-prime… Didn’t youuuuu,” is very like the fast paced, no punctuation writing style of Kerouac, as mentioned previously. Furthermore, I would argue that this ‘howling’ Dylan uses here, is particular for the ‘painful’ parts of the song, the sad and sorrowful bits. This is especially seen in the second chorus where Dylan almost moans the words “own,” “home,” “unknown,” and “stone,” to really emphasize the sorrow. When I listen to it, it makes me think of why Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” is named so. It makes me consider whether Dylan here is finally giving the howl that the situations in “Howl” deserve. Especially the final verse of the final stanza is filled with so much emotion as Dylan finishes of the assessment that the girl most go to “Napoleon in rags” because she “ain’t got nothing” and consequently “nothing to lose,” she does not even have any “secrets to conceal,” with that final “conceal” lasting from 5:13 to 5:18, a true howl.

Another song where Dylan stretches the final words of his verses this way is “I Want You,” the primary single on his 1966 double album Blonde on Blonde. In fact, Dylan even considered making “I Want You” the title track for the album. The album is ranked 9th on Rolling Stone Magazine’s top 500 best albums and features iconic songs like “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” a 11-minute love song for Dylan’s future wife Sara, which covered the entire B-side of the second LP and was recorded in one take at 4 o’clock in the morning after eight hours of recording, as well as “Just like a Woman” Dylan’s best ballad to date, and many others (Rolling Stone; 500 Greatest Albums of All Time). “I Want You” remains singular however, due in part to the pace, as mentioned before, but especially for its duality. “I Want You” may sound like a simple love song at the first listen, with the constantly repeated phrase of simple desire: “I want you” (“I Want You”), but at closer look one will find a subtler comment on society. If we merely consider the second stanza alone:

“The drunken politician leaps

Upon the street where mothers weep

And the saviors who are fast asleep, they wait for you

And I wait for them to interrupt

Me drinkin’ from my broken cup

And ask me to

open up the gate for you”

(“I Want You”).

There are a lot of questions that open up, such as what is with the broken cup and the interrupt? Why is the politician drunk? Why do the mothers weep? And why are the saviors asleep? The broken cup may be a reference to Dylan’s low social class, which may be why he is waiting for the “them to interrupt,” because he is simply not good enough for the woman. As for the politician, the mothers, and the saviors, they are all examples of the decay of society. Where politicians should be upstanding citizens who do not get drunk in public; mothers should be the individuals comforting and not crying themselves; and the saviors should be ever vigilant and keep an eye out for sinful behavior, Dylan’s depictions of these are the exact opposite. This might just be to certify that they have no say in Dylan’s love affair to this mystery woman, but that does not exclude that it might also be a rejection of authorities and prior generations.

In this seemingly ‘devil may care’ attitude, which might cover up some real social commentary, I see a reflection of beat sentiments. The having fun, while considering the larger questions, as mentioned previously in relation to “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “Howl,” being one beat aspect. But the depiction of the world, which is more of what is going on in “I Want You,” with a hint of irony, is more prominent. This is also an element to be found in Jack Kerouac’s iconic novel On the Road. The way the characters breeze through the American scene in On the Road, one cannot help but see how the characters stick out; how at any moment someone can bust them for their obscene behavior, but it never happens. It is almost as if they, especially Neal, are also constantly waiting “for them to interrupt.”

I once talked to a gentleman who was giving a lecture on the music of Bob Dylan, and who had a degree in musical history, but when asked whether he had written his master thesis on Dylan, he said that he had not, because there would simply be too much to work with. I sincerely hope to have convinced some of you of the literary merit of Bob Dylan. To analyze Dylan’s poetry is an almost endless task, and while he might have drawn inspiration from the beats for this part of his career, if we considered his seventies or eighties period, we might not have seen anything beat at all. For indeed, Dylan adapts the song traditions that he knows, as he has written in his autobiography “Chronicles.” This is why he started with folk, and then he slowly developed from there. Maybe another time I shall analyze a different influence of Dylan, as it seems to be an endless source material. The reason, I am afraid, that there is not much work to be found analyzing Dylan, is because of the relative novelty of his literary merits. However, through this intertextual consideration of Bob Dylan’s works I hope to establish a new sphere of literary and musical critique. For indeed, it is clear that Dylan did not merely write songs of protest, or of inconsequential significance; but like the beats, he developed his thoughts in a world consisting of so many things at once.

]]>https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2017/12/17/bob-dylan-the-beatnik-by-guest-author-christoffer-minnet/feed/0rantingsofacursebreakerDungeons & Dragons Homebrew: The Library of Forgotten Shardshttps://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/dungeons-dragons-homebrew-the-library-of-forgotten-shards/
https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/dungeons-dragons-homebrew-the-library-of-forgotten-shards/#respondWed, 19 Oct 2016 21:17:23 +0000http://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/?p=5961Continue reading »]]>I have recently undertaken the role of Dungeon Master for a group of friends. They have never played D&D before and I have never DM’d before. It should be interesting. We all have a mutual love of books so I have decided to create a campaign inside The Library of Forgotten Shards – a world that is greatly influenced by Magic: The Gathering. Welcome to my world …

Only the elves remember. The Kingdom of Alara was once great; a thriving civilization built by the Shards. It is now only a shadow of its former self. The Shards, or clans, ruled together; five great cultures maintained balance with their differences and combined their strengths to create a prosperous society. The Shard of Bant provided order, the Angels patrolled both among the mortals and themselves – no one was above their law. The Shard of Naya was a clan of beasts and fierce warriors that protected the kingdom from those who wished it harm. The Shard of Esper was a house of intelligence and artifice, they created the ingenious machines that kept the kingdom running smoothly. The Shard of Jund was wild and prized freedom above all else, they were the creative energy that spurred the kingdom forward. Finally, the Shard of Grixis managed the dead.

The Kingdom or Aara was governed by five God-like beings: Elspeth, Ajani, Nicol Bolas, Sharkhan Vol, and Tezzeret. Every government is prone to corruption, and Nicol Bolas was poison. He corrupted Tezzeret, poured his poison over him until Tezzeret was over taken by evil. It is one thing for a chaotic being to be filled with hate but quite another when the evil is held inside a genius. Tezzeret began to sew discord and hatred amongst the Shards, he turned friends into enemies and peace into war. A truly devastating war. Only Elspeth, who was pure of soul and courageous of heart, could stop the devastation. She used her own life force to extract the spirit of each Shard and locked them within the pages of books to keep them forever separate.

With their spirits gone, the warring citizens of Alara became peaceful once more. During the fighting, the God-like beings that ruled them vanished. The kingdom never regained its former greatness, never prospered. Kingdoms that have lost their spirit rarely do. It is said that the lost Shards were hidden within the great library of the university, no one really believes in them anymore but folk stories never really loosen their grasps on imaginations. It is not officially called The Library of Forgotten Shards but that’s how everyone thinks of it.

]]>https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/dungeons-dragons-homebrew-the-library-of-forgotten-shards/feed/03dp_dandd_logorantingsofacursebreakerMy Favourite (Unfinished) Fantasy Serieshttps://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/29/my-favourite-unfinished-fantasy-series/
https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/29/my-favourite-unfinished-fantasy-series/#commentsFri, 29 Jul 2016 13:08:28 +0000http://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/?p=5873Continue reading »]]>As I’m sure some of you are aware, my favourite genre is Fantasy. I particularly love series because it gives you the chance to explore the unusual worlds and become emotionally connected to the characters. Here are my favourite ongoing fantasy series, I’ll let you know why I think they are particularly fantastic.

Lightbringer by Brent Weeks

The Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks is a adult fantasy series based around politics, war and magic. The Magic system is phenomenal – magicians or drafters work by turning light into a tangible substance. It is fascinating. The series is currently three books long with a fourth being released in October this year. If you’d like to find out more about this series, check out my review of book one, The Black Prism.

Tearling by Erika Johansen

The Tearling series by Erika Johansen is another politics-based adult fantasy. The interesting thing about this series is that it is based on Earth in the distant future but instead of society progressing, it has regressed instead. They don’t even have electricity or steam engines. I really enjoy this series and cannot wait for the third book to come out later this year. If you’d like to check out my review of book one, The Queen of the Tearling, you can do so here.

Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss is an adult fantasy series that will ignite your imagination. Kvothe is a legend and he is telling his life story to a scribe. You follow this amazing character through his turbulent childhood and watch him grow into his magic and greatness. There are currently two books released and I do not believe that the third and final book has a release date yet, it has been a long time coming.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon is a series that straddles the line between YA and adult fantasy. Paige Mahoney is a clairvoyant in a city where it is illegal, Scion London. This series is a story of rebellion and unusual powers. There are currently two books released with book three due to be released next March. It looks as though Shannon has lots more books in store for this series.

Monsters Of Verity by V.E.Schwab

This Savage Song by V.E.Schwab is book one in her new series Monsters of Verity, I consider this to be a YA series. In a world where evil deeds literally spawn monsters, you sometimes have to make friends with your enemies. I loved the familiar yet new feeling Schwab’s monsters had and really like the emphasis on friendship in this series. You can read my review of This Savage Song here.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The Six of Crows is a YA fantasy duology that features around a heist. It is set in the Grisha world, but I wouldn’t even really consider it a companion series to the Grisha trilogy. It is its own story and is told phenomenally well. The characters are brilliantly shady and you become deeply entangled in their world. The second book is due to be released at the end of this September and I am seriously looking forward to it.

Shades of Magic by V.E.Schwab

V.E.Schwab’s Shades of Magic is an adult fantasy series with four Londons – Red London, Grey London, White London, and Black London. Only two people can travel between these Londons and we explore what happens when a relic of long-dead Black London comes to light. This series ticks all the right boxes: elemental magic, a bitter magician, and a female thief. I have just finished reading the second book in this series and loved it so much, I cannot wait for the third book next February.

What is your favourite fantasy series? I’m always looking for recommendations whether they be adult, YA or middle grade. Let me know in the comments!

Keep Reading

Jaz

]]>

https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/29/my-favourite-unfinished-fantasy-series/feed/1rantingsofacursebreakertheblackprismtearqueennameofthewindtheboneseasonthissavagesongSix-of-Crows-CoverDarkerBook Review: The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire Northhttps://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/book-review-the-sudden-appearance-of-hope-by-claire-north/
https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/book-review-the-sudden-appearance-of-hope-by-claire-north/#commentsThu, 28 Jul 2016 11:17:31 +0000http://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/?p=5838Continue reading »]]>Ever since she turned sixteen, people have been forgetting Hope. First her teachers, then her friends, and finally her parents. She has to survive in a world where people forget her as soon as they turn away, she can only rely on herself. She becomes a thief and when a job leads down a dark path, she becomes hunted as well.

Claire North is an absolute master of magical realism. Her characters are utterly unique and engaging, Hope is no exception. You walk through Hope’s life with her, you know what she does, you want the things she wants, and you root for her. It doesn’t matter that she steals and lies, you want her to succeed. Hope is stunningly written and she develops so naturally throughout the story.

The story itself is brilliant. You are first introduced to Hope very slowly, you learn what it is to be forgettable and flashbacks help you gain a greater understanding of her character. The story is then told in such a way that you never know quite what is going to happen; people you are sure are enemies become friends and vice versa. The plot twists and turns but never strays into the unbelievable. It was a truly exciting read.

After having so much success with the audiobook of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (another novel by Claire North). I decided to use the audiobook format to read this one. It is narrated by Gillian Burke and I think she did a wonderful job. She became Hope for the majority of the book but was just as adept at being all the other characters. Her accents were great and her male characters sounded realistic. Her tone and pace throughout the novel really brought it to life. I have only one complaint, the story quotes the lyrics to the Macarena song and I would have loved to hear Burke sing these parts instead of speaking them. I really cannot recommend the audiobook enough.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel immensely and gave it a 5/5 stars. Claire North is fast becoming one of my favourite authors, I have already started the audiobook of The Gameshouse – a series of three novellas following a high-stakes theme. I intend to listen to it slowly though so that I can savour the brilliance of the stories. Seriously guys, go and treat yourself to one of Claire North’s novels, I am confident that you will enjoy it.

Keep Reading

Jaz

]]>https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/book-review-the-sudden-appearance-of-hope-by-claire-north/feed/2rantingsofacursebreakerhopeMid-Year Bookish Favouriteshttps://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/mid-year-bookish-favourites/
https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/mid-year-bookish-favourites/#respondMon, 25 Jul 2016 09:21:15 +0000http://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/?p=5726Continue reading »]]>I’m pleased to say that so far this year I have read 73 books out of my target of 100 (according to Goodreads that’s 17 books ahead of schedule). I have decided that it’s time to share with you a list of my favourite reads from various categories and genres. I recommend every book on this list and absolutely insist that you immediately buy and read all of them.

Favourite New Fantasy Series

Brent Weeks is a genius. His Lightbringer series is completely refreshing and individual, the magic system is based on converting, or drafting, light to make tangible things. You can read my full review of the first book, The Black Prism, here. There are currently three books released (all over 700 pages in length) and book four is due to be release on October 25th this year! Excited doesn’t even cover it.

Favourite Indie Author

Raye Wagner is the self-published author of the Sphinx series, an action packed set of books based around Greek Mythology. I am in love with them and am desperate for her to finish book three. You can read my review of Curse of the Sphinx, the first book, here. Stay awesome, Raye!

Favourite Graphic Novel

This one was a hard one. I couldn’t quite decide between Rat Queens and Lumberjanes. I finally picked Rat Queens because it speaks to me on a deep and personal level. I am part of an RPG group that meet every week and I love that the series is a group of kick ass women that are basically a D&D adventuring party. It is gory, exciting and full of interesting characters. I love it.

Favourite Non-Fiction

Caitlin Moran is basically my new hero. This year, I have listened to the majority of her books in audiobook form and I have to say that this is my favourite of her non-fiction. It covers everything from FGM to cystitis. You can read my full review here.

Favourite Audiobook

I have owned this book since I was in my early teens but could never really get very far with it. I saw on YouTube that someone else had been struggling with it too but loved the audiobook. I decided to give it a go and was instantly transported to WWII Germany. Narrator Allan Corduner really captured Death’s personality and brought this wonderful novel to life.

Favourite Science Fiction

As I’m sure you’re aware, The Martian is the story of astronaut Mark Watney when he gets stranded on Mars. I found this novel completely realistic and incredibly funny. You can, once again, read my full review here.

Favourite Young Adult

The Raven King is the fourth and final book in Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle and what a finale it is! The series is filled with the supernatural, psychics, and friendship. I loved all the books but this one was definitely my favourite, it was extremely satisfying and surprising.

Favourite Magical Realism

I don’t read enough magical realism which is a shame because I really love it, I just struggle finding it. The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August is a novel by Claire North about a man who lives his life over and over again, it’s up to him to save the world. You can check out my review here.

Favourite Romance

This is not normally a genre I read but Carrie Hope Fletcher’s On The Other Side filled my heart with love, joy and hope. I haven’t been so enchanted by a story since reading Uprooted last year. Check out my review and prepare to be persuaded into reading this beautiful novel.

Favourite Re-Read

I have done a full Harry Potter re-read this year (as per usual) but this time I listened to them on audiobook. This was my first experience with the audiobooks and I cannot recommend them enough, Stephen Fry is his usual excellent self.

So that’s a wrap! Let me know some of your favourites so far this year and if you can recommend any good magical realism stories I would be very grateful.

Keep Reading

Jaz

]]>https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/mid-year-bookish-favourites/feed/0rantingsofacursebreakertheblackprismratqueensmoranifestobookthiefThe_Martian_2014ravenkingharryaugustontheothersidehpcoverA Toast To Minor Characters Book Taghttps://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/19/a-toast-to-minor-characters-book-tag/
https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/19/a-toast-to-minor-characters-book-tag/#respondTue, 19 Jul 2016 09:32:26 +0000http://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/?p=5650Continue reading »]]>Hello! I’ve been doing a lot of book reviews recently so I’ve decided to do fun things like tags for a little while. This on is the ‘A Toast To Minor Characters’ book tag and I’m super excited. I will be interpreting the term ‘minor character’ quite loosely.

1. Name a minor character you want to see more of.

Isla Flynn from This Savage Song by V.E.Schwab ~ Isla is the oldest monster in the Flynn family and is covered in stars. I love how whimsical she is and her fascination with the stars, hiding a darker personality below the surface. I hope she is in the sequel a lot.

2. Name a minor character you want to be friends with in real life.

Baz from Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl (and Carry On, but he’s not a minor character in that) ~ Baz is gay vampire. A fact his family ignores completely. He is witty and slightly cruel but I think we would get on great.

3. Name a minor character who bored you.

Totho from the Shadows Of The Apt series by Adrian Tchaikovsky ~ Totho is a very gifted artificer. He’s also a bit of a dick. He pines after a girl, basically betrays her and becomes the sidekick of an evil genius. He does other stuff too but he is a super dull person. No wonder his love was unrequited.

4. Name a minor character who annoyed you.

Opal Koboi from Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl ~ Opal is one of the villians in this series, a manic genius pixie. I think she is absolutely vile and so find everything she does extremely annoying.

5. Name a minor character who grew on you.

Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ~ I think most people found Effie Trinket super annoying to begin with but she really grows on you. I really liked her by the last book.

6. Name a minor character who broke you heart.

Severus Snape from J.K.Rowling’s Harry Potter ~ if you read his story without your heart breaking, you must be some kind of monster. Always.

7. Name a minor character who made you laugh.

Iko from Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles ~ Iko is an android who just wants to be human. She is definitely the comic relief of the series and I found her hilarious.

8. Name a minor character who made you cry.

August Summers from Carrie Hope Fletcher’s On The Other Side ~ August Summers is protagonist Evie Snow’s son. His marriage is crumbling around him but a visit from his mother’s spirit, a black dove and some patience changes everything. His chapter broke my heart and put it back together.

9. Name a minor character who surprised you.

H from Ready Payer One by Ernest Cline ~ I’m not going to tell you the surprise! Go read it and find out for yourself.

10. Name a minor character you’re reading about right now who is intriguing you.

Little One from Carrie Hope Fletcher’s On The Other Side ~ This is my last read, not my current one but Little One is a dove that I couldn’t stop thinking about.

So there we have it! Did you enjoy it as much as I did? Who is your favourite minor character? I’d love to know!

Keep Reading

Jaz

]]>https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/19/a-toast-to-minor-characters-book-tag/feed/0rantingsofacursebreakerMID-YEAR BOOK FREAK OUT TAG!https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/18/mid-year-book-freak-out-tag/
https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/18/mid-year-book-freak-out-tag/#respondMon, 18 Jul 2016 07:53:15 +0000http://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/?p=5527Continue reading »]]>Welcome to the ‘Mid-Year Book Freak Out’ Tag. This seemed like a nice way to wrap up the first half of the year so here we go!

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2016.

I absolutely love this series. It has a great magic system and I flew through the 700+ pages. You can check out my review here.

2.Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2016.

This was a difficult pick because I have read lots of great sequels, I chose this one in the end because it doesn’t appear anywhere else in this tag. This sequel had a great mix of politics, action and flashbacks. You can check out my review of the first book, The Queen Of The Tearling, here.

3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.

Despite being released much earlier this year, I still have not read the sequel to A Darker Shade Of Magic. I bought it a couple of days ago though and intend to read it when I finish my current read.

4. Most anticipated release of the second half of the year.

Who isn’t anticipating Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? Only 13 days left! I’m looking forward to the first book in Marissa Meyers new series, Heartless, which I believe is a retelling of the Queen of Hearts’ story. She is a wonderful author. I’m also looking forward to the Iluminae sequel, Gemina. I cannot wait to get my hands on this! You can check out my Illuminae review here.

5. Biggest disappointment.

This book was advertised as fantasy and it was so disappointing. The story was bland, hardly anything happened and they just slipped in a mythical creature at the end to fulfill the fantasy promise.

6. Biggest surprise.

I tried reading Terry Pratchett when I was younger and didn’t like it at all. I tried again this year and I don’t remember laughing so much at a book. I’ve since read many more Discworld novels and I love them!

7. Favourite new author.

I discovered all of these authors this year and have read more books of theirs since!

8. Newest fictional crush.

Samuel Vimes is the slightly reluctant and enigmatic leader of the City Watch, Ankh-Morpork’s hodgepodge police force. I think he is awesome.

9. Newest favourite character.

Evie Snow, from Carrie Hope Fletcher’s On The Other Side, is warm, caring and completely bonkers. I love her. Evie greatly resembles her author so I have used a photo of Carrie here.

10. Book that made you cry.

I must have burst into tears four or five times whilst reading this. In public. You can check out my review here.

11. Book that made you happy.

Again, this book has done so much for me. It filled me with that warm and fuzzy feeling. I love the characters and the story with all my heart. I felt like I was physically glowing when I finished.

12. Most beautiful book you have bought this year.

I love these hardback editions of the Discworld novels, I bought all of them this year.

13. What books do you need to read before the end of the year.

I don’t really have a TBR sorted for the rest of the year, I’ll just read what I fancy.

14. Favourite Book Community Member.

These are my two favourite BookTubers. Caz from Little Book Owl and Reagan from PeruseProject. I love both of their videos and always watch them as soon as I can. I particularly love that my reading tastes are similar to them both and I always get great recommendations from them. You should definitely check them out!

So that’s the tag done! Let me know who your new favourite character is this year in the comments!

Keep Reading

Jaz

]]>https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/18/mid-year-book-freak-out-tag/feed/0rantingsofacursebreakertheblackprisminvasionofthetearlinggatheringofshadowssoundlessguardsguardssamvimeseviesnowontheothersideontheothersidediscworldBook Review: On The Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcherhttps://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/14/book-review-on-the-other-side-by-carrie-hope-fletcher/
https://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/2016/07/14/book-review-on-the-other-side-by-carrie-hope-fletcher/#commentsThu, 14 Jul 2016 15:05:27 +0000http://rantingsofacursebreaker.wordpress.com/?p=5475Continue reading »]]>Curl up on your sofa with a cup of tea, make sure you have a box of tissues and maybe a cat handy, and fall into On The Other Side. This is Carrie Hope Fletcher’s first novel and boy did she come out with a bang! I read this wonderful story full of love and magical realism in one sitting and suggest you do the same.

Evie Snow has lived a long life but in order to gain entrance to her personal heaven she must unburden herself of her secrets. We follow her deep into the past, to the year she was happiest and in love and watch her story unfold.

I loved this book’s layout – it’s phenomenal. The story jumps from past to present and switches between characters which can sometimes be a confusing thing but the layout of this novel meant you always knew exactly where you were, adding to the flow and reading experience. No flicking back a page or two in confusion!

Carrie’s writing style is vivid and feels natural, it transports you away from your couch and into the world of Evie Snow. I loved the descriptions of both locations and people, everything felt every real to me. The story also has a magical realism theme that was executed perfectly, it felt completely natural when the extraordinary happened.

The cast of characters used in this story are incredibly diverse and interesting. Many different personality types are explored; there are people of all shapes and sizes (including a curvy and board-shouldered protagonist); and the novel explores different sexualities as well, actually using words like pansexual and bisexual in the place of the subtle hints you usually see.

This novel is predominately a story of love, the love between Evie and Vincent. I enjoyed the way the romance was written, it wasn’t cloying or overdone, it felt natural and similar to my own experiences. I was interested to see how Evie and Vincent reacted in certain situations and would love to see a ‘Day In The Life’ style novella in the future (pretty please, Carrie?). I definitely ship these two.

The creativity of the author really shines through the pages of this novel, some of her inventions are completely whacky and downright marvelous. If you like Disney, then you will love all the references from Peter Pan to Marry Poppins’ carpet bag. And if you are a Hopeful – like me – you will appreciate Carrie’s subtle nod in our direction.

Overall I had a ridiculously good time reading this novel, I laughed out loud and shed more than a few tears (awkward if you are sat on park bench). I gave this novel a well-deserved 5/5 stars and will probably be re-reading it the next time I need a pick-me-up. I truly recommend you give it a try; if you like it, pick up Carrie’s non-fiction work All I Know Now or check out her YouTube channel ItsWayPstMyBedTime, Carrie will always leave you with that glowing feeling of positivity and hopefulness.